Musical-instrument reservoir-check.



R. A. GALLYQ MUSICAL INSTRUMENT RESERVOIR CHECK.. APPLICATION FILED AuG.2. 1911.

Patented May 7,1918.

ofnrrnn srn'rns PATENT FFIOE.

ROBERT A. GALLY, CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALDIVIN COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT RESERVOIR-CHECIL Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

Application filed August 2, 1917. Serial No. 184,141.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT A. GALLY, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Cincinnati, county of ,Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l\Iusical-Instrument Reservoir-Checks, of which the following is a specification.

Player pianos having a pneumatic action, with the air service for such an action supplied by both a power drive and a foot drive to the bellows or other wind inducing apparatus, have formerly been provided with check valves to hold out of air connection whichever one of said air inducing means was not utilized at that time of opmain air chest and the air tension reservoir are always in air connection with the player action whenever that action is being operated, a mechanical locking means or check being provided which prevents the motion of the said reservoir when the power pumping means is operated, but allows the motion of the said reservoir when the foot pumping means is operated, a convenient additional feature being the connection of the said check tothe handle for opening and closing the door of the opening to the pedals of the foot pumping devices, or may be connected to any shiftable element or such other parts which by their shifting correspond to the proper conditions for foot or power operation or any other dual condition or purpose.

In the drawings Figure 1, is a front view of the lower part of a player piano with its slide door open, the foot pumping pedals swung out for operation, and the check released frcm the air tension reservoir to allow the suction of that reservoir; and Fig. 2, is the same view with the foot pedals thrown in, the slide door closed, and the check locked against the motion of the reservoir; and Fig. 3, is a larger scale view of the details of the check: In both Figs. 1 and 2, the lower frame or panel board of the piano has been removed to exhibit the parts important to this application; but it is to be understood that such a lower frame is usually in place in front of all this lower part of the piano, an opening being provided in said frame for the throwing in and out of the foot pedals, such opening being closed by the slide door whenever said door is thrown to its closed position as in Fig. 2.

A general wind chest 1 has two pumpers 2, and 3, connected to the chest 1 by the usual valved ports, each said pumper having any suitable mechanical connections as to their corresponding foot pedals 5, 6. A power driven pumper as 7 is connected by suitable means as a belt 8 to an electric motor 9 or other power means. An air pipe 10 or other service connection leads from the power pumper 7 to the wind chest 1 and a check valve as 11 may be provided to prevent back suction of air from the power.

pumper 10 when the foot puinpers 2, 3 are operated.

A check valve 12 of a bail form is hung by its upper ends 13 from the key bed 14 or other solid part of the apparatus adjacent the moving board 15 of the reservoir 16, fixed bearings as 17 being provided in which said ends 13 are revolubly mounted. This onables the check 12 to be swung to a position free of the said reservoir board 15 as in Fig. 1, then allowing a full expansion and motion of the said reservoir board 15 for steadying the air during the alternate action of the pumpers 2, 3 during foot pumping, or that the said'check can be swung to a position checking the said reservoir board 15 to a position partly or wholly restricting the motion of the said board 15 during the air service by the power driven pumper 7 as shown in Fig. 2, which is usually desirable during such power pumping, as very quick charges of air tension are then desired for automatic accent of the music, and any motion of a reservoir would cause that much loss of time in raising the tension, as such reservoirs suitable for foot pumping uses are usually of low tension rating, high tensions being secured by the foot operation by a carefully prepared building up of the tension, or a very sudden action by the foot pumpers, such quick action being much faster than is desirable for a power pumper, especially if such power pumper is of constant speed, as is usual.

The check 12 is swung to and from its position of limiting the motion of the reservoir board 15, by means of a link 18 connected to the slide door lever 19, which lever 19 has a handle 20 at its upper part, and at its lower part is a link 21 connecting said lever 19 to the slide door 22. link 18 has a slot 23 or other equivalent lost motion device at the engagement of said lever 18 to the check 12, which ongagement is made on a pin 21 on a bracket 25 attached to the front arm 26 of the check 12, the pin 24: being at such a position relative to the 'revoluble ends 13 as will enable the easy swing of the check 12 on its revoluble ends 13 by the substantially straight line motion of the link 18. The upper end of the lever is shown as bent forward in a horizontal shaft held in suitable bearings 20 on the'keybed let or other part of the case, so that the lever 19 may be swung by the handle 20 which depends fromthe forward end of the said shaft part.

\Vhen'the instrument is idle and it is desired to start the power pumping, attention is given that the handle 20 and lever 19 are at their rightward position as in Fig. 2, the door 22 being closed as is desirable to seclude any operating sounds of the motor and power pumper. Before the power pumping is started the reservoir 16 is in expanded condition, its moving board 15 being at its upper position, but the handle 20, lever 19 and link '18 being at their rightward position, as the latter parts areshown in Fig. 3, the'check 12 then resting on the upper board 15. As the operation-of the power pumper 7 is started the suction therefrom through pipe 10 and chest 1 serves to collapse the vreservoir 16 against its expansion spring'27, and as the said board reaches the desired position for partially or wholly limiting any later motion of said board 15, the check 12 swings down into the position shownin Fig. 2, thereby limiting the motion of said board 15 until it is desired to use the foot pumpers, when a leftward movement of the handle 20, lever 19 and link 18, willpull the check 12 to the left and swing itupward to the position shown in Fig. 1, thereservoir board 15 then being 'free to move and allow the storage and the steadyingof the air'action by the reservoir 16. The slot 23 in link .18 is provided so that when the handle 20, lever 19 and link 18 are thrown to'the right when no pumping is being done and the reservoir board 15 is then in its expanded position as in Fig. 3, the link '18 is allowed to reach its extreme rightward position, its slot 23 then extending to the right of the pin 21 so that when the board 15 is drawn away from said chest 12, the "said check can swing down and to the right to a locked position against the board 15. Any spring means can be added to the check 12 to assist its swinging to the locked position at the right.

A reservoir as 16 having an interrupting block as 28 to cause a slanted position towardithe swinging motion of the check 12 aids the easy operation of said check 12,

The

although a constantly parallel actionboard, or a slanted or end hinged reservoir may be employed, as such items and others are mere mechanical details, unessential to the broader merits of the present invention; although the use of the present reservoir check 12 in combination with a reservoir moving board as 15 resting at two distant points 28, 29 when restricted by the check 12, secures a desirable yielding action of the board on very high tension of air, increasing the effect of such high tension of air on'the music playing parts. The interrupting'block reservoir herein shown is similar to the applicants prior Patent #1',034,098, and the slide door operating device is similar to that shown in this applicants prior IPatent #103,193.

lVhat I claim as my invention l. A collapsible and expansible air reser voir having a moving board and a check mounted to be moved into and away from a position to interrupt all motion of the said board atone certain position ofthe said board; a shiftable element independent of the said moving board; and a shifting element connected'to the said shiftable element and to a movable part of the said check.

2. vA collapsible and :expansible .airt-reservoir .having a moving board .and a check swingably mounted .to be moved into and away from a position opposedto the expan sion motion of said moving board; a shiftable element'independent of the said moving board; and a shifting element connected to the said shiftable element; andtto amovable part of'the said check.

3. A collapsible and expansible air reservoir having a moving board and a check swingably mounted to be moved into and away tfrom a position to interrupt all motion of the said board at one certain position ofthe said board; a shiftable element independent of the said moving board; and a shifting element connected to'the said'shiftable element and to a moving part of the said check. I

4. A collapsible and expansible air reservoir having a moving board and a check mounted to be moved into and away from a positionto restrict-the motion'of the said moving board, ashiftable element'independentof said'moving board; and a shifting means connected to the said shiftable element and to a moving part of the said check.

5. .A collapsible and expansible .air reservoir having a moving boardand a check mounted .to be moved into and'away'from'a position torestrict the motion of the said moving board; a movable door, and a'shifting means connected to the said movable door and to the said check.

6. A collapsible and expansible air reservoir having a moving board; air pumper means and foot pedals for their operation; air pumper means and power means for their operation; and movable check mounted to be moved to and away from a position to restrict the operation of the said moving board during the operation of the said power pumpin means.

7. A collapsible and expansible air reservoir having a moving board; foot operable air pumper means and power operable air pamper means; and a movable check mounted to be moved into and away from a position to restrict the operation of the said moving board during the operation of the said power pumping means.

8. A collapsible and expansible reservoir having a moving board, and a check mounted to be moved into and away from a position opposed to the expanding motion of the said board; and controlling means connected to the said check and having a lost motion element intermediate the-said controlling means and the said check.

9. A collapsible and expansible reservoir having a moving board, and a check mounted to be moved into and away from a position opposed to the expanding motion of the said board; and controlling means connected to the said check and having a lost motion element intermediate the said controlling means and the said check; and an additional and shiftable element independent of the said moving board and connected to and shiftable by the said controlling means.

ROBT. A. GALLY. Witnesses:

PAUL HENGGE, NORMA HEISER.

Gtpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

